Iranian authority grounds local carrier

Iran's civil aviation regulator has ordered the suspension of one of the country's airlines, on the grounds of safety, apparently the first such decision by the authority.

The Civil Aviation Organisation has not identified the carrier involved.

But it says the flight ban has been imposed owing to "non-observance" of regulations, and concerns over reduced service quality.

In a statement the CAO adds that the decision will give the company the chance to improve its service and the time to address the matters raised by the regulator before restoring domestic and international flights.